Apparatus for treating textile fabrics in the manufacture of belting.



No. 762,356. PATENTED JUNE 14, 1904.. W. E. SMITH. APPARATUS FOR TREATING TEXTILE FABRICS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BELTING. I APPLICATION FILED JUNE 29,1903.

6 SHEETS-SHEET L N0 MODEL.

YWMZQ wmi llm PATENTED JUNE 14, 1904.

I v w. R. SMITH. APPARATUS FOR TREATING TEXTILE FABRICS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BELTING.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 29,1003.

6 SHEBTSSHBET 2.

N0 MODEL.

No. 762,356. PATENTED JUNE 14, 1904,v

w. E. SMITH.

APPARATUS FOR TREATING TEXTILE FABRICS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BELTING. MODEL" APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 29,1903.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

No. 762,356. I PATENTED JUNE 14, 1904.

w. R. SMITH. APPARATUS FOR TREATING TEXTILE FABRICS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF IBELTING.

N0 MODEL- APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 29,1903. 6 SHEETS SHEET Q q a & \xi 1 N w *3 N Q PATENTED JUNE 14, 1904. W. R. SMITH.

APPARATUS FOR TREATING TEXTILE FABRICS IN THE MANUFACTURE N0 MODEL.

7 APPLICATION FILED JUNE 29,1903.

OF BELTING.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 5 PATENTED JUNE 14, 1904. w. R. SMITH. APPARATUS FOR TREATING TEXTILE FABRICS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BELTING. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 29,1903.

N0 MODEL.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 6..

I UNITE STATES Patented June 14, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM R. SMITH, or BUFFALO, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO BUFFALO WEAVING AND BELTING COMPANY, or BUFFALO, NEW YORK, A

CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

' APPARATUS FOR TliEATING TEXTILE FABRICS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BELTING.

SPECIFICATTON forming part of Letters Patent No. 762,356, dated June 14, 1904.

Application filed June 29, 1903. Serial No. 163,511. (No model.)

To (Ill/Z mltont itmlrty concern:

' I Be it known that I, WILLIAM R. SMITH, of

Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements-in Apparatus for TreatingTextile Fabrics in the Manufacture of Belting, of which the folio ving is a specification.

This invention relates tothe treatment of multiple ply woven fabrics the threads of which are of textile material, such as cotton, the fabric being made in an elongated strip 3 of indeterminate length of suitable dimensions for machlne-beltlng.

The invention has for its object to provide at improved apparatus for producing a fabric of this character which shall be inextensible longitudinally or in the direction of length of the warp-thread and free from liability to be affected by atmospheric conditions, so that the fabric when embodied in a machine-belt will neither stretch nor shrink under the ordinary conditions of service to which it is subjected.

The invention also has for its object to enable the threads of a multiple-ply woven fabric to be permeated or saturated with an adhesive composition applied in a fluid or semifluid condition, to'the end, first, that the individual fibers of each thread may be caused to cohere, and thus produce an increased degree of tensile strength similar to that imparted to the well-known thread termed a waxed end by the application of wax thereto, and, secondly, that the surface of a belt composed of threads thus treated may possess to a sufficient" degree the quality of adhering to the peripheries of the wheels or pulleys over whichit passes, this quality being unaffected by the wearing away of the surface of the fibers of the threads, because of the saturation of the threads with the adhesive composition.

Thechief object of, my invention is to enable the threads of a multiple-ply woven fabric to be permeated or saturated with a fluid or semifluid composition containing rubber, the composition being of such character that it can be cured or vulcanized within the threads by heating, thus producing'a belt of great durability and well adapted to take a suflicient frictional hold on pulleys.

Prior to my invention, so far as I am aware, a multiple-ply woven fabric of textile material has neverhad its threads uniformly saturated with an adhesive composition applied in a fluid or scmifluid condition.

So far as I am aware, it has been heretofore considered impossible to force a fluid or semifluid adhesive composition, and particularly one containing rubber or its equivalent, into the threads of a multiple-ply woven fabric, owing .to the fact that the warp and weft threads of a multiple-ply fabric are so closely interwoven that it has been impossible by any methods heretofore known to force a composition of the character stated into the warp and weft threads in such manner as to permeate the same. I have discovered that by heating a fabric of this character", and thus thoroughly expelling all moisture therefrom and putting its fibers in a receptive condition, and by stretching the fabric lengthwise or in the direction of its warp-threads while it is heated the physical conditions of the fabric are so changed that an adhesive composition in a fluid or semifluid condition can be readily forced while in a heated condition into the pores between the threads of the fabric and into the minute crevices between the fibers of the threads, heat and pressure being employed conjointly to force the said composition into the fabric. I have also found that a fabric thus treated possesses certain new characteristics particularly adaptlargement of a portion of Fig. 3.

13, 14, 15, and 16 represent enlargements of alternate layers of textile fabric and rubber without possessing the chief disadvantage of ordinary rubber belting-via, the liability of the layers of the belting to separate, this liability, as is well known, often causing the disintegration and materially impairing the durability of an ordinary laminated cloth and rubber belt.

A multiple-ply woven-fabric belt is not laminated,but is practicallyhomogeneous in its structure, so that when treated in accordance 'with my invention with an adhesive composition which permeates its pores and saturates its threads abelting fabric is produced which is practically waterproof and adapted to take an effective frictional hold-on a pulley and is at the same time free from liability to separate into thin strips or shreds, its wear being due to the gradual removal of the surface fibers. This'removal being gradual has no effect analogous to that of the splitting away or removal of a surface layer in a combined cloth and rubber belt.

The invention consists in the improvements ing the characteristics above described, all as hereinafter described and claimed.

Of the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 represents a plan view of a fabric-treating machine embodying my invention- Fig. 2 represents a side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 represents a longitudinal section on line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4' represents a transverse section on line 4 4 of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 represents a transverse section on line 5 5 of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 represents 3 a transverse section on line 6 6 of Fig. 5. Fig.

7 represents a section on line 7 7 of Fig. 6-.

Fig. 8 represents a section on line 88 of Fig.

4o 2. Fig. 9 represents a section on line 9 9 of Fig 1. Fig. 10 represents a section on line 10 10 of'Fig. 2. Fig-11 represents an en- Figs. 12,

portions of Figs. 1 and 2.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all the figures.

In the drawings, (4 represents the supporting-frame'of my improved machine, the same At one'end of the supporting-frame is mounted a delivering reelor mandrel I), on which is wound a strip 0 of multiple-ply woven fabric of indeterminate length, the threads of said fabric being preferably composed of cotton, although a fabric of any other suitabletextile material may be treated in accordance with my invention hereinafter described. The reel or mandrel I) is preferably provided near one end with a flange 7) to guide orie edge of the roll or strip of fabric, and its rotation is preferably retarded by a friction device or brake .5 comprising a shoe hinged at one end and formed to fitthe periphery of a V-shaped pul- 5 ley affixed to one end of the reel 6, the shoe in the apparatus for producing a fabric hav-.

being of any suitable form and construction. I

A being pressed against said pulley by an adjusting-screw 71. From the reel or mandrel I) the strip 0 passes between two pressure-rolls (Z d, journaled in bearings supported by the frame of the machine, said rolls being rotated in the directions indicated by the arrows in Fig. 3 and-being arranged so that they closely reel 7).

e c, ff, and g 9 represent additional pairs of rolls, each mounted and driven like'thc rolls d d and each grasping and moving forward the strip of fabric 0. Each of the above-described rolls is heated, preferably by steam introduced into its interior, the rolls being hollow and each provided at one end with a tubular trunnion, which receives the beating agent through a suitable supply-pipe, all as indicated in Fig. 4. The rolls therefore act to heat and dry the fabric, so that when the strip has passed between the last pair of rolls g y it is in a thoroughly dry condition. The lower roll of each pair is rotated by means of a shaft it, having a series of worms h, meshing with worm-gears h, aflixed to the trunnions of the lower rolls (Z ef g, and by means of intermesh'ing gears z, affixed *to the trun nions of the upper and lower rolls. The rolls a a have a surface velocity slightly exceeding of rolls has a surface velocity slightly exceeding that of the pair preceding it,'the result being that the strip 0 is stretched in its passage from each pair of rolls to the next. From the last pair of rolls g g the strip 0 passes over an idle guide-roll 7', between a'pair of rolls k k, which are arranged side by side, their axes being at substantially the same height, so that the peripheries of the rolls above their line of nip form the sides of a substantially V- shaped trough, through which a stretch of the strip 0 passes vertically. ()ne of the rolls k is provided with flanges k k, which project beyond or 'overlap portions'of the other roll in and form the ends of the above-mentioned trough. The sides and ends of the trough thus formed are adapted to confine in contact with the strip a quantity of fluid or semifluid filling composition, which is of an adhesive and waterproof nature and is preferably a solution of rubber. Said composition is supplied cated at one side of the machine at a higher level than the trough. The said kettle is heated, preferably, by a steam-jacket and is provided with outlet-pipes m m, arranged to deliver the composition to the said trough at through the trough. The rolls 7c 71: have a surface velocity slightly greater than that of the rolls g 9, so that they maintain and slightly increase the stretch imparted to the fabric, as above described, the said rolls k k being arranged to tightly grasp or nip the fabric, and thus not only stretch and feed the same forgrasp or nip the fabric and draw it from thethat of the rolls d (l, and each succeeding pair to the trough from a kettle or reservoir m, lo-

opposite sides of the stretch of fabric passing Ward, but also force into its stretched and heated fibers and pores the composition sup plied by the kettle m. The rolls k k are heated in the same manneras the preceding rolls and are rotated by means of a worm n on the shaft 71,, aworm-gear 92. affixed to the .trunnion of one of the rolls k,- and intermeshing gears 12. 12- aflixed to-the shafts or trunnions' of the rolls 1': k. I prefer to providea second pair of rolls 76 E, which are duplicates of the rolls k In and are supplied witha heated composition from a heated kettle or reservoir m the strip a passing from the rolls k 14 over an idle guide-roll j, between the rolls 70 70 where it receives an additional charge of the filling composition. The rolls k k are preferably driven at a surface velocity somewhat exceeding that of the rolls in k, so that they maintain and slightly increase the stretch previously imparted to the fabric. My invention is not limited, however, to the employment of two sets of devices for applying the composition to the fabric, and I may employ either one set of said devices or any larger number, according to the thickness of the fabric and the depth to which it is desired that the composition shall penetrate the fabric. One member of each of thedescribed pairs of heated rolls is preferably adjustable toward and from the other to accommodate the rolls to the thickness of the fabric, the adjustable roll,

which in the construction shown in Fig. 4 is the upper roll, being journaled in movable .boxes or bearings 00, which are movable in guides in the supporting-frameand are adjusted by adjusting-screws 0 0', operated simultaneously by a shaft 0 journaled in the suppoi'ting-frameand having a hand-wheel 0 said shaft being provided with bevel-pinions 0*, meshing with corresponding pinions o",afiixed to the screws 0'. screws for the upper rolls (Z c f g are vertically arranged, while the adj usting-screws for,

the adjustable rolls in and k are horizontally arranged 2 2 represent heated rubbing-plates, which are arranged to bear upon both sides of the I 'strip 0 after it leaves the rolls 1 70 The said plates are preferably hollow chambers, having smooth surfaces in contact with the sides of thefstrip, each plate being heated by suitable means, such as by steam introduced through flexible inlet-pipes p suitable flexible outlet-pipesv 79 being provided forthe exhaust-steam. The said flexible pipes may communicate with any suitable source of supply of' live steam and with any suitable recillate on a stud q, fixed to the frame of the The adjusting-'- machine, said lever having slots or openings above and below its center of oscillation, in which are located sliding boxes q. boxes receive trunnions q q, afiixed to the rubbing-plates p p. g

7' represents a disk eccentrically mounte' upon a transverse shaft 1", journaled in bearings in the frame of the machine, the said eccentric disk being located in an enlarged opening in the lower portion of the lever q and bearing upon the opposite .sides of said openmg. driving-shaft 1 having a pulley which is connected by a belt 7 with a corresponding pul-- ley on the shaft 1". The rotation of the shaft r causes the eccentric disk 1' to oscillate the lever q, and thus reciprocate the rubbingplates 10 p. The extent of the reciprocating 'metion thus imparted to the plates 12 may be varied by means of an adjustable bearingplate '8, forming one side of the opening in which the disk 0 rotates, and also by varying the eccentricity of the disk 7 the latter being adjustable on the. shaft 1* by means of a slot 7* in the disk, which receives an end portion of the shaft 1*. There are two of the levers Saidv The shaft 1" is rotated by means of a lated by the movements of the lower plate and support the latter at a uniformheight. The upper plate 12 is provided at its ends with horizontal grooves p,Fig. 8, which engage studs or ribs 2 afiixed to vertically adjustable slides 32,

Fig. 11, which are movable, in vertical guides in the supporting-frame by adjusting-screws p". The upper plate 12 is thus rendered adjustable toward and from the lower plate, so that the platesmay be caused to exert the same pressure on a relatively thin strip 0 as on a relatively thick strip. The studs q,.on which the levers q oscillate, are supported by brackets q", Fig. 8, affixed to the supporting-frame, and are so located that the centers of oscillation-of the levers are in substantially the same plane as the rubbing-surfaces of the plates p, while the trunnions q 'q are located at opposite sides'of said plane, so that the plates are moved simultaneously in opposite directions.

It will be seen that the oscillatory segmental allel rectilinear pathsor planes, the path of the upper plate being adjustable toward and from the path of the lower plate.

From the rubbing-plates p the strip 0 passes between a pair of rolls t t, which are preferably heated and driven like the rolls (1 d, &c., the surface velocity of the rolls t t being preferably slightly greater than that of the rolls k F. i1

u represents a Wmdmg roll or mandrel,

which is arranged at the opposite end of the machine from the delivering-mandrel I) and receives the strip after the latter has passed between the rolls tt, the strip being guided to the winding-roll u by an idle roll a. Means are employed for rotating the winding-rolla at aspeed governed by the diameter of the roll or accumulation of the fabric thereon, the speed decreasing as the diameter of the accumulation of fabric increases. vided at one end with a disk a, which constitutes one member of a friction driving-gear. The other member of said gear is a relatively small friction-wheel a, which is movable toward and from the center of rotation of the disk u and is in frictional contact with said disk. The roll a is rotatively engaged with a shaft w, which is provided with a gear w, meshing with a gear 10 affixed to the'shaft It, the disk a being rotatively engaged with the shaft w, but adapted to be adjusted thereon,

y represents a rock-shaft journaled in fixed hearings and having at one end a telescopic arm y, the upper end of which is forked and engaged with a grooved collar fixed to the disk 14.

1 represents an arm'afixed to the rockshaft 3/ at the opposite side of the disk a, said arm being arranged to bear against the accumulation of fabric a on the winding-roll a and to be moved outwardly thereby, thus turning the rock-shaft y and causing a similar movement of the arm 1 and disk u. The arm is yieldingly held against the roll 0 of fabric by a spring 1 The pipes 111/, which deliver the composition to the troughs between the rolls 7c 7c and [:1 I2 are preferably provided with numerous outlets m Each outlet has a valve formed as a sleeve m ro- The said orifice m and an ear or handle m.

valves enable as many outlets to be provided as may be desired.

As shown in Fig. 10, one of the rolls k is composed of a hub 2, having at one end aflange 13, its other end beingscrew-threaded and provided with an internally-threaded collar or nut 14:. On the hub between the flanges 13 and 14 are assembled a series of rings 15, the peripheries of which collectively constitute the periphery of the roll. The nut 14 is separated from the adjacent ring 15 by a narrow spacing-ring 16, which forms the bottom of the groove, receiving one of the flanges k of the other roll In. This construction permits the distance between the flanges 7c In to 'be adjusted to conform to the width of the strip 0, the flange k, which enters a groove between two of the rings 15, being adjustable lengthv I other side of ,the fixed flange 13.

15 may vary in width, as shown. In Fig. 1

the flanges 7c in are shown as adjusted to guide To this end the roll a is proa relatively narrow strip 0', while in Fig. 10 they are shown as adjusted to guide a much wider strip.

I have found that by maintaining the fabric in a stretched and heated condition while the composition (also in a heated condition) is being applied and forced into the pores ofthe fabric I am enabled to secure the uniform permeation of all parts of the fabric by the composition and that the fabric after the described treatment is free from all liability to contract, is unchanged by wear as to its structure and its capability of holding or adhering to a pulley, and is practically inextensible under any reasonable or ordinary strain, such as a machine-belt is liable to be subjected to.

' The improved fabric is therefore distinguished from multiple-ply woven fabric in its original condition or as it leaves the loom by the features above stated. The fabric is further characterized by the fact that its tensile strength is increased from three to five times.

The fabric when treated with a solution of unvulcanized rubber or its equivalent may be subjected to heat in a vulcanizing-press to vulcanize the rubber. Owing to the fact that a large part of the rubber is located within the pores of the fabric, the vulcanization does not require to be carried to such a state of hardness as would be. required if the rubber were disposed in layers upon the surfaces and between the cloth layers of an ordinary clothand-rubber belt. The rubber may therefore be left in a relatively soft and adhesive condition, thus improving the frictional hold of the belt upon the pulleys.

The improved fabric and the method of making it, as above described, form the subject-matter of another application for Letters Patent of the United States, Serial, No. 163,512, filed by me concurrently herewith.

I claim 1. An apparatus of the character stated comprising instrumentalities for feeding and stretching a web of woven fabric, means for applying to the stretched portion of the web, a filling composition, and means for directly heating the stretched fabric prior to the application of said composition.- v

2. An apparatus of the character stated comprising instrumentalities for feeding, heating and stretching a web of woven fabric, means for applying to the stretched portion of the web, a filling com position, and means for heating said composition before its application to the fabric.

3. An apparatus of the character stated comprising instrumentalities for feeding and longitudinally stretching a web of woven fabric, means for applying. to the stretched portion of the web a filling composition, and means and crevices of the stretched portion of the fabric.

4. An apparatus of the character stated comfor forcing said composition into the threads prising a series of pairs of. heated rolls, each ripheries above the nip of the rolls constitute the sides of a trough, the stretched and heated web passing vertically through said trough and between the rolls, means for introducing a filling composition into said trough, and means for drawing the web from the troughforming rolls.

5. An apparatus ofthe character stated comprising means for feeding and directly heating a web of woven fabric, means for applyingfa heated filling composition to the web, and means for applying rubbing pressure to the surfaces of the filled portion of the web.

6. An apparatus of the character stated comprising a series of pairs of heated rolls, each pair having a greater surface velocity than the preceding pair, whereby a web of fabric passed between said rolls is simultaneously heated and stretched, a pair of heated rolls arranged side by side, so that the portions of their peripheries above the nip of the rolls constitute the sides of a trough, thestretched and heated web passing vertically through said trough and between therolls, means forintroducing a filling composition into said trough,- means for drawing the web from the trough-forming rolls, rubbing-plates arranged to act on the opposite sides of the web after it has passed the trough-forming rolls, and means for reciprocating said plates.

7. An apparatus of the character stated comprising a series of pairs of heated rolls, each pair having a greater surface velocity than the preceding pair, whereby a web of fabric, passed between said rolls is simultaneously heated and stretched, a pair of heated rolls arranged side by side, so that the portions of their peripheries above the nip of the rolls constitute the sides of a trough, the stretched andheated web passing vertically through said trough and between the rolls, means for introducinga filling composition into said trough, means for drawing the web from the troughforming rolls, rubbing-plates arranged to act on the opposite sides of the web'afterit has passed the trough-forming rolls, means for reciprocating said plates, and means for heating said plates.-

8. In an apparatus of the character stated comprising a pair of heated rolls arranged side by side so that portions of their peripheries above the nip of the rolls constitute the sides of a trough, one of the rolls having flanges and the other roll having end faces overlapped by the flanges, the latter constituting the ends of the trough.

9. In an apparatus of the character stated comprising a pair of heated rolls arranged side by side so that portions of their peripheries above the nip of the rolls constitute the sides of a trough, one of the rolls havinga series of adjustable rings or sections constituting the acting surface of the roll, and means for securing said rings, the other roll having flanges, one of which is adjustable.

10. In an apparatus of the character stated comprising a pair of heated rolls arranged side by side so that portions of their peripheries above the nip of the rolls constitute the sides of a trough one of the rolls comprising ahub portionhaving a fixed flange, and adjustable collar or nut, and a series of removable rings interposed between said flange and nut, the other roll having flanges overlapping the said fixed flange and one of the rings.

11. In an apparatus of the character stated comprising the combination of a supportingframe, a pair of rubbing -plates having opposed rubbing-surfaees arranged to act on a strip of fabric passed between the plates,

means for reciprocating said plates edgewise and means for guiding the plates inparallel planes.

12. In an apparatus of the character stated comprising the combination of a supportingframe, a pair of rubbing-plates having opposed rubbing-surfaces arranged to act on a strip of fabric passed between the plates, oscillatory levers pivoted to the frame, connections between the levers and the plates at opposite sides of the centers ofoscillation of the levers, means for oscillating the levers, and means for guiding the plates in parallel planes.

13. In'an apparatus of the'character stated comprising the combination of asupportingframe, a pair of rubbing-plates having 0pposed rubbing-surfaces arranged to act on a strip of fabric passed between the plates, means for reciprocating the plates edgewise, means for guiding the plates in parallel planes, and means for adjusting the path of one of the plates to vary'the space between their acting faces.

14:. In an apparatus of the character stated comprising the combination of a supportingframe, a pair of rubbing-plates having opposed rubbing-surfaces arranged to act on a strip of fabric passed between the plates, means for reciprocating the plates edgewise, oscillatory segmental arms pivoted to the frame and supporting'the lower plate, guides supported by the frame and engaging the upper'plate, and means for adjusting said guides.

15. In an apparatus of the character stated comprising the combination of a pair of heated rolls arranged side by side so that portions of their peripheries above the nip of the rolls constitute the sides of'a trough, a kettle or reservoir elevated above the trough, and a pair of feed-pipes extending from the reservoir over said trough.

-16. In an apparatus of the character stated comprising the combination of a pair of heated rolls arranged side by side so that portions of their'peripheries above the nip of the rolls constitute the sides of a trough, a kettle or -reservoirelevated above the trough, and apair of feed-pipes extending from the reservoir over said trough, each pipe having a plurality of outlets and independent valves controlling said outlets.

17 In an apparatus of the character stated comprising means for feeding and longitudinally stretching a web of woven fabric, means 10 for applylng a filling composltion thereto, a delivering-roll having a frictional retarding device or brake, a winding-roll, and means governed by the accumulation of fabric on the WILLIAM E. SMITH.

Witnesses:

Tiios. H. NOONAN, J. E. Voomns. 

